Utilizing Harmonics in Sequential and Parallel Disaggregation Schemes

Scope of this paper is to examine the performance of two disaggregation schemes for NILM algorithms based on the utilization of current harmonic vectors. The analysis is based on measurements performed on real residential installation and the utilized features regarding the formulation of the load signatures of the appliances refer to the odd harmonic current vectors up to the fifth harmonic order. Moreover, a large number of measured appliance combinations is used for the application of the disaggregation schemes in order to evaluate their performance. The first scheme relies on sequential disaggregation for the harmonic orders, starting from the fifth and moving on to the first. The second scheme concerns simultaneous disaggregation of all harmonic orders in a parallel manner. The merits and flaws of both schemes are highlighted and the results indicate that for the parallel disaggregation scheme the appliance identification performance is higher at the expense of the computational burden.